


CoD: Troubled Blood (Tankeo)

by Kirimizi



Category: COD zombies, Call of Duty, nazi zombies
Genre: ALL THE GOOD STUFF, Alcohol, BL, Boys Love - Freeform, Cute, Happy Ending, Kissing, Love, M/M, Making Out, Romance, Shounen, Yaoi, hand holding, part one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2018-09-24 05:33:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9705500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kirimizi/pseuds/Kirimizi
Summary: When push comes to shove, how do you truly convey your feelings and fix a faulty relationship all at once? That's the kind of advice Tank Dempsey needs right about now.





	1. The trial and error

The night was cold and frigid for anyone who dared to bare even the slightest bit of their skin to the air. Lucky for the group walking, prepared with only a limited amount of jackets, Tank Dempsey gave not one fuck for the weather they traveled through. He refused to take off or add on anything to his already weathered uniform. Anyone who dared to inquire his reasons for doing so would be met with the same words: It's something you wouldn't get. 

Tank was a direct and kind person. Whatever experiences he may have had made him into who he was today. To Tank, that meant strong and fierce on the battlefield. To the other three, well, opinions varied. 

Takeo Masaki felt very different when comparing how Tank viewed himself and how he saw the marine. His list of words to describe him began with the word “Irrational” and ended with much more colorful language. 

When the two of them sat across from each other as the other two snored away into next year, Takeo couldn't help but glare at him for all he had done up until now. As admiring as it was that Tank would put others before himself, it was still bothersome. He smiled in response to his glare while the two exchanged nothing in words.

Tank doesn't think before he acts, another reason Takeo could not stand the man for more than a few minutes at a time. 

Strangely enough, Takeo caught himself gazing into the eyes of the man he felt so much contempt for. Whatever the case was, he quickly averted his eyes. 

Tank’s smile grew bigger before he knew it. Unfortunately for Takeo, he sported a nice big blush on his face from all his staring.

Takeo notices so much detail in such little moments. He could almost read a person entirely without hesitation. That is, if he could have hesitated. Every minute detail seemed to pop out at him more and more. Something about the rugged look of his face was so attractive to Takeo, the way the lines around his mouth curved whenever a grin peaked out on the uncommon occasions. The rise of his mouth, where one side raised much more than the other, gave him an alluring aura, as if he were a predator stalking his prey, ready to pounce at any given moment. The twinkle in his eye made it seem like he was ready for anything. That was just the kind of man Tank Dempsey made himself out to be. 

“And what might you be staring at?” Tank watched as the look on Takeo’s face shifted from mesmerized to pure embarrassment. The poor young man completely zoned out while staring off at Tank. Instead of answering his question, Takeo simply huffed angrily and walked ahead on the path that the group had been treading on for the day.

Tank took notice of the strange behavior of his comrade. Within the last two weeks or so, if not longer, the typically mindful Takeo Masaki wasn't being as self kept as usual. Personally, Tank as flattered at the way he had stared off at him as if he were staring up at the night sky. Takeo loved looking up at the night sky by himself. The moment was almost always done by himself. The dark color in his eyes reflected the grand skyline, to the point where one can swear they could see the night sky in his eyes. 

With that thought, another had floated into Tank’s mind. Since the looks we're so much similar, did that mean Takeo might possibly have an attraction to Tank? Even so, why did the mere thought of this make his own heart skip a beat? Tank grabbed his chest softly as he continued to watch the Japanese man stomp away in aggravation. 

Tank found himself wondering how he could solve their troubled blood. A gesture of goodwill would be the best course of action. Something that may trigger his better memories. Walking the rocky yet bare path had given the young marine a good push and quite a few ideas in order to pull this off. 

One idea had stuck out more than the rest however. It involved a bit of work and worst of all, bartering with a drunk man.


	2. To barter is to gamble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two, woohoo!

The following night made for a beautiful and clear sky. Tank was a try-hard who thought to make his idea a reality as soon as possible. In this case, sometime around midnight tonight. The first course of action was finding the man with the goods. Easy enough. So Tank headed out from the lobby of the new building they called home and into one of the main hallways, then took a turn down a fairly narrow corridor. 

At the end was a door labeled in what he suspected was German. He only assumed German because he could read the sign in Edward’s strange, high pitched voice. Right when the door creaked open, Nikolai had turned around, with that little hint of confusion meddling into his facial expression per usual. 

“Hey pal, how are you?” Tank forced an overly stretched grin on his face.  
“Please, spare me from that terrifying expression,” Nikolai's own face scrunched up in slight horror before shaking it off. “What are you up to yourself?”  
“I need a favor that only you can help me with.”  
“So you need alcohol. What for?”  
“A symbol of goodwill. But it needs to be...specific.”  
Nikolai stretched an arm over his own shoulder before walking over to the many, many, oh so many boxes of supplies that, to no surprise of Tank’s, were filled to the brim with bottles of alcohol.  
“How did you—”  
“A true soldier never reveals his secrets.” Nikolai winked. “Now then, what is your position of choice tonight?” 

Tank walked over and inspected the bottles & collections.  
“I'm looking for a Japanese alcohol.”  
Nikolai mumbled to himself and took down one box, then another, then one last box from a shelf nearby.  
“I have many, you are in luck!”  
“How do I know which one is the best?”  
“If you would not mind terribly, I can pick one out.”  
“Go ahead then.” Tank backed off and allowed him to pick out a very plain, cream colored bottle from the mix. He handed it over to Tank.  
“This should do the job for Takeo I believe.”  
“H-How did you know?”  
“Why else would you be asking for Japanese alcohol?” 

As much as he wanted to deny the reasons behind his asking, he couldn't hide it from his Russian comrade. So he did what he does best and began to walk away from the conversation.  
“Thank you for the help.” Tank abruptly left the room clutching the bottle of sake in his hand. He felt his face start to flush and sprinted down the hallway, as if he tried to run away from his own feelings. Tank thought too much to himself on his way to Takeo’s personal rooming. By the time he realized he required a plan of action, the young marine was already more than halfway to his destination. 

Perhaps it was the dense air forming for the rain to come later on that evening, but Tank could not put himself together when it came to the process of fixing their troubled blood. The mere thought of being in the same room with Takeo made his heart begin to beat even faster once he had exited the building.  
Even so, he decided to use the fresh air to his advantage and took a few deep breaths to make it so that he could calm down. The world suddenly seemed so strange.  
Why was he getting so worked up about fixing some troubled blood? It wasn't like there was any ulterior motive beyond restoring what seemed so broken. But maybe, just maybe, something else had crossed his thoughts that his mind just couldn't take. 

And under the night sky, all had suddenly became clear.


	3. Love is in the stars tonight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter! What will happen with Tank's plan?

Tank quietly approached the door to Takeo’s private compound with nothing but alcohol in hand and a racing heartbeat that sped with every step he took. Never did this legendary marine, the one and only Tank Dempsey himself, think he would ever encounter a situation where he displayed such vulnerability to another human being...not again at least. But that was a long time ago, a period in his life he would never forget; the events leading to his first marriage. Not exactly something he fondly looked back on for his own reasons. 

Regardless, Takeo made an impression on his heart he could not simply ignore. The thoughts of loss that swallowed him up were easily fought off with the mere thought of being around Takeo. Such grace and beauty are rare traits, yet are part of the beautiful display known as Takeo Masaki. Just looking at him, Tank thought the young soldier should have instead have been a prince for his otherworldly charms. 

Tank didn't expect he had enough of the balls to do and swiftly knocked on the door. He took a deep breath, sharply inhaling the cool night air, as he tried to control the pounding beat of his heart coming out of his chest. The door opened and the unsuspecting imperial soldier was openly taken aback, narrowing his eyes on the marine. It seemed to Tank that he had been caught at a terribly inconvenient time, his long black hair undone and flowing elegantly past his broadened and bare shoulders. 

“Tank, it is far too late, what do you need from me?” Quickly he dismissed the marine’s wandering eyes with his defensive voice. Takeo looked down to the box he held and an eyebrow raised, questionable as ever. Tank cleared his throat and brought his eyes back to the man before him.

“Come with me somewhere.” Tank did not expect to have the balls he had speaking. “I have something to show you and I know it's late but this can't wait.”  
“Now really is not the time, do you have any idea what time it is?”  
“I'm aware, but it's too important to do another day.” Takeo could see in his eyes that this meant something to him. The pleading proved this as well.  
“Please come with me. It'll be worth it, I promise.” Takeo sighed, unable to say no to the man before him. He groaned as he went back into the room to obtain his sheathed katana, as he could not risk being caught without it. He walked out, throwing on a black tank top he had washed that morning. This was his way of agreeing to leave his room. However, he refused to take the time to put his hair back up with the many hair ties lounging about his room and allowed it to flow freely beside him. He hesitantly agreed to follow Tank wherever he planned to take him. 

They walked from the room all the way down the hallway, to the outside of the building. The crossing into the next building had given Takeo a reason to hesitate even more, but instead he carried on and decided to keep quiet until the very end. 

After taking a few steps into the building, he had been lead to yet another staircase. Huffing, he continued to follow Tank up the stairs until they reached a door at the very top, to which he presumed led to the rooftop. When Tank opened the door, what Takeo laid eyes on made the trip worth it almost immediately.

“Tank?” The only word that left the lips of the imperial soldier when Tank opened the door. The plan had come through, and Tank had listened intently to the strange thought in his head up until this point. 

However, the young American soldier could not bear to say anything. His eyes widened and his mouth had failed him. Instead, he watched as the imperial soldiers’ expression softened at the sight of the incredible view lying above them. In fact, he saw Takeo smile for the first time in the years they had known one another. Each star captivated the young man as he walked off to the farthest end of the rooftop to keep track of the placement of stars in the sky, while a flood of memories came back to him from his childhood. 

As a young boy during the imperial age in Japan, Takeo was fell with expectations, many of which he made his goal to fulfill for the honor of his family, himself, and his country. But with all these expectations came an unwavering agitation. The boy, only ten years of age, sometimes felt the need to just be a child his age, rather than the man everyone was trying to create so early on in his life. 

Around this time in his life, a tutor had been hired to teach the young boy about general astronomy, and the placement of stars. In less than a day, Takeo found himself obsessed with the night sky. Up until his adult years, for any reason he could find, Takeo would go out and admire the night sky in all of its glory. 

But of course, life got in the way and for the sake of the worlds safety, he set his hobbies aside for the exchange or returning the proper order of things. To restore time before the existence of mythological creatures coming to life bringing the brink of the apocalypse. 

Still, he did not have anything to say. 

“Takeo,” Tank even went out of his way to sound out his name properly. “I think we need to talk.”  
The young man pushed his hair to one side before looking back over to Tank.  
“What is all of this about?” Takeo did his best to remain on the defensive.  
“Sit down with me and we can talk over drinks, how does that sound?” The marine took the box that was handed to him earlier by the trusty alcohol perfectionist of the group. It was obvious what lengths Tank went to in order to get on Takeos good side, and so, Takeo made an executive decision to stay and hear him out.

In less than no time, Tank had set up two beautifully handcrafted ceramic cups, almost sized the same as miniature tea cups and filled each with a milky substance, one that was sworn to its taste from your local connoisseur. The sight of such a moment was bewildering for both sides, as the two never went out of their way to get along besides what was necessary to work together. 

“Here.” Tank shakily passed one of the tiny cups with a small tea plate underneath it over to Takeo with as much grace as he could possess.  
“Have you never held a tea cup in your lifetime?” Takeo asked as he sat down against the door to the rooftop, genuinely wondering. Tank sighed and placed himself beside his comrade with a cup in hand for himself.  
“You want the truth?”  
“So never. How interesting, do Americans drink things other than beer?” A very sassy response thought Tank, and hopefully a sarcastic one.  
“Anyways,” He brushed off the comment and moved on. “Try the, uh, drink yet?” Tank hesitated.  
“Before I do, answer me one more thing.”  
“Alrighty, what’s on your mind?”  
“Tank, why did you bring me here?” 

Unsure what to say, Tank decided to stick to the facts. The only problem with that question was the actual answer. One he was unsure of himself. In the beginning of this, it was for the sake of the team, to get along better. But as the plan went on, his heart told him that this plan was for something more. He took a deep breath before proceeding with the answer.

“Would you think I was crazy if I said it was to solve the troubled blood between us?”  
“Not crazy at all. However, I must say,” Takeo took a sip of the chilled alcohol. “I do not believe you.”  
“What, did you think I brought you all the way out here to be mean?”  
“Not that either.”  
“Then what?” Tank was quick to defend himself.  
“You have been doing nothing but staring at me as of late. Treating me to specialty liquor. And to bring me this far to simply sit under the moonlight?” Takeo looked back up to the stars. He genuinely sounded offended when he asked.  
“Are you trying to woo me?” 

“Whoa, I don't know if I'd use that word...”  
“I was joking!” He fixed his hair to neatly fall over the front of his shoulders.  
“Well, maybe I wasn't!”  
“Ex-Excuse me?!”  
Tank could not have imagined messing this up so royally.  
Alas, he managed to goof this up. And doing so, it was time to fix it as he knows he should.

“I like you. A lot. More than I should.” Tank muttered. While he thought Takeo was to be taken by surprise, his actions spoke otherwise.  
“I know, Marine.”  
“What do you mean, you know?”

Takeo finished up drinking from the ceramic piece and out down the small cup beside him. He then faced Tank with an expression like none he expected.  
“What if I told you that I may have contemplated this sort of ordeal myself?”  
“Are you saying what I think you're saying?”  
“Is this not the answer you were looking for?” Takeo narrowed his eyes at the marine just at the thought of his mere expression being cast aside.  
“No! I mean yes!” Tank exclaimed. Takeo sighed. How did this get so complicated already?

“I meant what I said. I do admire you. In a much more affectionate way than I could describe but the feelings, they're all there. From the way you poise yourself in battle to the small moments we share together as a team. I look forward to the nights where you smile ever so slightly at some dirty joke Nikolai made around the fire. Or the nights where you look up to the night sky, so lost in thought that you can't scowl like you normally do.”  
“...I do not scowl as much as you seem to think!”  
“Out of all the words that came out of my mouth, those had to be the only ones you pick out.” 

Takeo tilted his head down in embarrassment, being called out like this wasn't exactly something that occurred to him often. But when it did, he couldn't deny the facts.  
“You really meant those words, didn't you?”  
Tank moved closer and sighed heavily.  
“Yes, yes I do.” Takeo managed to look away before his own blush would give away his responding feelings. Even so, Tank hesitantly moved his hand on top of Takeo’s. Making any sort of moves wasn't exactly Tank’s forte, nor was it something he had done in years, more years than he could account for. 

Takeo turned his head up instead to look back up at the stars above them. Never did he think someone would go out of their way to gain his affection, let alone his respect. Especially for the sake of emotions. 

His fear led him nowhere so far. So what's the worst that can happen in taking a risk?

Takeo’s hand moved up and over Tank’s, shakily hovering over his for a brief moment before it fully rested on top. Tank knew the other man would not turn around in time to see his smile and grinned happily until his heart was ready to pound out of his chest.  
It was safe to say that their feelings were finally on some mutual level.

But Takeo was not done just yet. 

Takeo whipped around and pulled Tank by his coat collar as close as he could possibly get to his face. With no warning, Takeo shoved his lips with as much force as he could emit on the young marine and kissed the man while keeping his hand on top of the warm one that had just laid on top of his own. 

All the while, Tank felt there was no way to confirm this was reality. As much evidence as there was that was occurring, there was no way to react to this.  
So if it was a dream, Tank wanted nothing more than to delve into it. His hand laid softly on the back of his head and slowly worked his fingertips through the silky strands. All while he lightly pressed the man closer to him.

The two threw themselves into this moment of passion. The moment was filled with tentative emotions, as Tank reveled in the love being shown towards him. Lips climbed on top of one another and a warmth came across their cheeks. Tank gently moved his hand below Takeo’s chin and gently rubbed it in need of having him closer to his dormant body. Takeo did as he was motioned to do and moved closer, almost on top of the marine as they kissed, even letting the man's fingers tangle into his long locks.

It wasn't until Takeo pulled back for a brief moment and breathed heavily, that a part of his face was so badly flustered that Tank laughed. Takeo groaned and pulled away completely.

“There is nothing funny about this!” Takeo roared out of pure frustration.  
“Everything about this is pretty funny actually.” Tank continued to laugh.  
“Marine, you are going to get yourself in a lot of trouble if you keep up this attitude.”  
Tank laid his hand on the young imperial soldiers shoulder.  
“Isn't this the same attitude that you seem to find so—” Tank winked. “Irresistible?” 

Takeo stood perfectly still for a minute. God, did he want to punch this man in his beautiful face. 

“Takeo? Are you okay?” Tank ceased his laughter and pressed his forehead against Takeo's. “Is someone still flustered?”  
“Oh, spare me.” He muttered back, averting his eyes. Tank took hold of both Takeo’s hands and did not hold back on his next words.

“I couldn't spare someone like you.” Takeo felt his heart began to pound again at the comment. “I can't ask for much more than to be here with you right now.”  
In return, he felt it was only right to return the feeling.  
“As am I, marine.”


End file.
